What is a RespOrg?

Definition

A RespOrg, short for Responsible Organization, is an entity certified to manage toll-free numbers in the SMS/800 registry, including reserving them, assigning them to customers and setting where their calls route.

What a RespOrg does

Toll-free numbers, such as those beginning 800, 888 and 877, are held in a single national database run by Somos under FCC authority. Only certified organizations can make changes in it. The RespOrg for a number is the one that can reserve it, assign it to an end customer, and change which carrier it routes to. The role dates from the 1990s, when the FCC made toll-free numbers portable between carriers.

Most businesses never become a RespOrg. They use a carrier or service provider that is one, and that provider acts for them.

Why it matters to an agency

Whoever is the RespOrg controls the number. A toll-free number you print on thousands of mailers is only as portable as your relationship with that party. Changing RespOrgs is a formal request in the registry, and a provider can only do it with your authorization.

How VereTel fits

VereTel’s plans use local tracking numbers, which carry no RespOrg step. Toll-free numbers, which do, are on request on Starter and up: talk to us and we will tell you what is possible. Numbers are not on sale yet. Create a free account and ask to be told when they are. VereTel buys the numbers on its own carrier account. They sit on VereTel’s account, not yours, and your desk shows each one with its label. If you need a number moved to another provider later, that is a porting conversation, and bringing existing numbers to VereTel is not available at launch. The difference between the two kinds is explained in toll-free vs local tracking numbers.